Very close to el Día de la Candelaria, when Mexicans celebrate the end of the Christmas season with tamales, a party of a very different ‘religion’ takes place: the Super Bowl.

The already amalgamated celebration of Día de la Candelaria, fuses the pre-Columbian tradition of making food and other offerings to several deities, along with the presentation of Christ at the temple. According to Jewish law, it was customary to bring a baby to the temple after forty days had passed from the day of the infant’s birth. Jesus would have been taken to the temple on February 2nd, which is when this festivity takes place.

Around the same time, and adding a layer of complexity to my world, I was quickly evangelized on the celebration of the Superbowl, which could very easily be considered a holiday. Intriguing as the game is, though, I have always been more fascinated by the soap-opera worthy plots, the off-the top commercials, and of course, the food.

Food was my easy way in, and when I was first asked to bring a dish to the party I thought it would be clever to bring chicharrón… I thought, this is really “pig skin” after all.

For a quick and easy to make a snack, serve chicharrón in a molcajete with avocado, salsa and warm tortillas.

When trying to talk about pulque, it is only possible to scratch the surface. An ancient fermented drink made with nectar from 12-year old agave plants, this milky alcoholic substance has a soap opera-worthy history. Once a prominent sacred potion, and esteemed secular remedy to which aphrodisiac and extraordinary nutritious properties were attributed, pulque has also gone from being anything from the stigma of the demons of a caste, to the protagonist of the movement of Mexican independence.

500 years later, and after enduring both the rejection and nationalistic embrace of its own people, this drink continues to be a relevant part of Mexican life and popular folklore. In the early 1900s, more than one thousand pulquerías peppered the streets of Mexico City, with catchy, tongue-in-cheek names reflecting the innate humor of Defeño* social dynamics- “The Other Church”, “A Lady’s Belch”, “Better Here than There” (for an establishment across from a cemetery). Also, many of them are hosts to quite a collection of Mexican art.

Although today pulque is consumed primarily in rural areas where its complex drinking and serving etiquette lives on, there seems to be a movement of resurgence in Mexico City. Tasting tours are now also available.

Because the drink is fermented, selling it in cans is impractical, but may still be found. The best pulque is freshly fermented, and it is usually enjoyed by itself or mixed with fruits, in which case it is called curado. I have not stumbled upon pulque breweries in Chicago, but then again, I have not purposefully looked for them either yet, although I have read about people who brew their own for personal consumption. If you are outside of Mexico and know where to find pulque, here is chef Victoria del Ángel’s recipe to make your own coconut curado:

Curado de Coco

• 4 cups of fresh pulque• 1 cup of shredded coconut• 1 can of creme of coconut• Sugar to taste

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a blender slowly incorporating the pulque.

Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Serve.

*Defeños are citizens of Mexico City

Chef Victoria del Ángel discovered her passion for cooking at the age of three. Fascinated by Mexican cuisine, she obtained a degree in gastronomy by the Escuela Superior de Gastronomía in Mexico and a graduate degree by the Culinary Institute of Switzerland. Currently, Victoria is the owner of a chocolate boutique, Xocolat del Ángel, in Jilotepec, México.

A food scientist turned chef and restaurateur, for over 20 years, Pilar Cabrera has delighted patrons at her La Olla restaurant in Oaxaca, Mexico. Also a culinary educator and ambassador, Chef recently spoke with us about her book, Casa de los Sabores, a compilation of some tradional Oaxacan recipes, and the written culmination of her work as a docent: Casa de los Sabores is chef Cabrera´s cooking school.

In her food, Cabrera captures the soul of traditional Oaxacan cooking, from local ingredients, to utensils and secret family recipes.

If you are in Oaxaca, you are in luck, as you can stop by and indulge in her dishes. If you are not, buy her book, and in the meantime, Chef was very generous to share with us a piece of Oaxaca, so that you can bring it to life in your own kitchen. Here’s her recipe to make chile de agua rajas al orégano. Enjoy!

*Our heartfelt thanks to chef Aldo Saavedra for making this interview possible.

Claudia Sandoval, the first Latina to be crowned winner of home-cooking competition series MASTERCHEF, has a message that resonates universally- “follow your dreams”. But as a single mother living paycheck to paycheck, Claudia means this both, literally and figuratively.

First, she had to push herself to audition along with other tens of thousands of cooking enthusiasts. She said, “I put my dream off for a while. I was worried about not making any money, and about who would take care of my child. I wondered what would happen if I went away for potentially three months.” Finally, Sandoval, an events manager, decided to take a leap of faith one Wednesday. By Friday, she was cooking the signature dish that would secure her a spot on the show’s sixth season.

As this aspiring gourmand advanced through the rounds, she found that sticking to her instincts always gave her good results. For the “Mystery Box Challenge”, in which participants receive only one ingredient to prepare an elevated dish, she had to work with a single tomato. Claudia won with a savory tomato Napoleon.

“I had a dream about it the night before,” she said.

Raised by a single mother herself, Claudia was taught how to cook by the Mexican matriarchs in her family. Fittingly, for the final challenge, she created a three-course meal featuring flavors and ingredients representative of her roots: an appetizer of huitlacoche tamal with pork chicharrón, cactus salsa and avocado crème; a main course of grilled swordfish with chayote, chickpeas and Mexican squash; and a poached pear with key lime custard, candied lime and pepita cinnamon brittle.

“Claudia was a strong competitor from the beginning,” said the show’s host, executive producer and judge Gordon Ramsay. “Her passion and unique dishes were what impressed us the most, and we look forward to seeing where her new culinary career will lead her.”

In addition to earning the MASTERCHEF title, Claudia walked away with a cookbook deal and the $250,000 grand prize.

Said Claudia, “I can’t wait to move my daughter and myself out of our one-bedroom apartment and get started on sharing our family collection of authentic Mexican recipes in my cookbook!

Meanwhile, we can’t wait to hear what Claudia will dream of next.

Click here to see a clip of the series finale (Video Courtesy of FOX Broadcasting)

La Vitamina T has joined forces with celebrity Chef José Bossuet Martínez to bring the flavors of Baja California to the east coast! Our team will be participating with a world-class culinary demo at the World of the Latino Cuisine Trade Show at the Latino Food Show. Chef Bossuet is the owner and chef de cuisine of famous Lozhka Bistrot de Cocina Local in Ensenada and Café Contento in Guanajuato, México. La Vitamina T will be showcasing its beloved San Felipe Salt, along with new exciting products, olive oil by Baja Olive and a few labels of Mexican wine from award-winning Monte Xanic winery! See you in New Jersey August 26-27!

I was touched by the sight of the churros that welcomed us, as if they had somewhow been coaxed into perfectly spelling out “La Vitamina T.” We were asked to arrive early since, like it is the case with any kind of magic, at Don Churro, these delicious fried-dough desserts can only be conjured up in the dark.

It was barely dawn when we got to the quaint Pilsen establishment, and the Molinas had been up all night. With no sleep and even in the the sweltering heat of the friers that have been going on for hours, the owners of Pilsen´s Don Churro, el Moro de Letrán (an homage to the iconic downtown Mexico City establishment) are extraordinary hosts.

María, the matriarch, speaks proudly and animatedly about how a mix of hard work and bravado landed her a business for which she had to fight every day to keep afloat. At first, she says, she would go out to sell churros on her bicycle. Fast-forward thirty years and Don Churro is making 5,000 pastries a day to keep up with a demand that spans beyond state lines, and has earned a spot as a community fixture.

The Molina family add passion and pride to their delicious churro recipe.

Edwin Molina, one of María’s three children, gives us a quick glimpse at the struggle and sacrifice that have built both, the family business, and his character. Armed with a grateful attitude and a superhuman work ethic, Edwin works to find new opportunities to merchandise his product and to continue to innovate. This place is not called Don Churro in vain. Here, churros are serious business.

What makes Don Churro so special? These churros have a soul. And I am not just talking about the delicious guava, cream cheese, bavarian cream, strawberry or chocolate fillings that make these crispy and chewy bundles of goodness extra special.

These popular transplants have gone through fire to become who they are, and much like the Molina’s, they are a real success, and they will steal your heart.

LA VITAMINA T IS ON NBCLATINO!

In Mexico, La Vitamina T (Vitamin T) is a tongue-in-cheek term we use to refer to carb-loaded delicacies that usually begin with a “t”: tacos, tortas, tamales, tostadas, etc. Here, for centuries, food has been a lifestyle: beyond eating it, we create it, we live it, we speak it, we adore it.

The more I talk about food, the more I find it a particularly powerful element of national and religious identity. During the holidays, among many cultures, dishes often have ritualistic qualities and are charged with plenty of symbolisms. At the same time, dishes provide us with a common ground: we eat, therefore we exist. In sum, I am fascinated by the fact that food makes us different and, at the same time, food makes us the same.

La Vitamina T is dedicated to food: to the people who craft it and the people who enjoy it; to the memories it brings, and the memories it creates.
¡Buen provecho!

Proudly Representing Chef José Bossuet

Available for interviews, special events, classes and brand endorsements

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